This week the United States Supreme Court heard two cases on one of the most divisive issues of the past twenty-five years… same sex marriage.  On Tuesday they heard arguments in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry which is more commonly known as the “Proposition 8” case which concerns a 2008 ballot proposition which outlawed same sex marriage in California.  The law overturned a California Supreme Court ruling which allowed the practice.  After arguments it appears that the court may not offer a ruling and simply dismiss the case.  The justices claim that the issue may be too new to offer any ruling in regards to whether or not same sex couples have a federal constitutional right to marry.  The issue, they think, is better left up to each individual state… and in this case the people of California voted against gay marriage.

On Wednesday the court heard its second case of the week concerning gay marriage.  In United States v. Windsor the issue is whether or not the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton, is constitutionally sound.  The law prohibits married same sex couples from states which allow same sex marriage from benefitting from more than 1,000 federal laws and programs.  For the same reason they may dismiss Hollingsworth v. Perry, they may rule the 1996 law unconstitutional saying that the issue of same sex marriage is an issue left up to each state.  Essentially the court may rule that if a particular state allows the practice, then the federal government cannot deny couples the benefits of marriage. 

The basic feeling on the court is that this issue is not one for them to deal with… yet.  The decisions of the Supreme Court often end up making de facto law… in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision the Supreme Court said that states do not have the constitutional right to deny abortion.  The result is that abortion is legal.  They hesitate to make such a ruling in these cases claiming that the issue is just too new.

According to Justice Kennedy with regards to the practice of same sex marriage, “We have five years of information to weigh against 2,000 years of history or more.”

Thoughts?

Next year a new publicly funded charter school will open in Providence with the focus of embracing technology and preparing students with 21 Century Skills.  The school, called The Village Green, identifies itself as a “Virtual Public Charter School, will implement a hybrid model of instruction in which 40% of instruction will be done in a traditional classroom setting while the remaining 60% will be focused on reading groups and a virtual instruction model. 

The school purposes to introduce a technologically rich educational experience and will have a 1-1 student to computer ratio.  The school day of the student will be largely self-paced, meaning that if it takes one student 45 minutes to complete an assignment and another 90 minutes it doesn't matter… the goal is to complete the task and learn the material, not to simply ‘get it done.’

Students will take some courses virtually from computers in the school.  Virtual classrooms are becoming more and more popular and represent an entirely new philosophy of education.  The University of Phoenix for example is a completely virtual university in which students can earn Bachelor and Master degrees without ever leaving their home.  Traditional universities are also offering online courses to supplement their traditional ones… Salve Regina University’s doctoral program offers about half of its program online and even some of the best schools in the country are offering courses online, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia all have begun integrating virtual learning into their culture. 

Thoughts?

                                                                        

In an area of the globe normally of little interest to the average American, one of the longest constant conflicts in the world is raging.  Since it achieved independence from the British Empire in 1948 Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been the site ethnic and religious conflict.  Buddhism was declared the official religion in 1961 and since that time clashes between the Buddhist majority and the Christian and Muslim minorities have been commonplace.

Lately however the violence between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim minority has intensified to the point of getting international attention.  Over the weekend Muslim communities were attacked by Buddhist mobs which resulted in 32 deaths and dozens of homes burned and several mosques attacked.  

Internationally, followers of Buddhism are normally perceived to be pacifistic, with images of Tibet and the Dalai Lama as the most known Buddhist symbols… the violence in Myanmar illustrates that no religious tradition is without the stain of violence.  

In a statement President Obama expressed the need for continued dialogue between the opposing sides claiming that only through discussion can these problems be solved.  The President made a mistake however when referring to the country as Burma instead of Myanmar… an issue some in the nation take very seriously.


Thoughts?

When the Civil War in Syria first broke out two years ago in the euphoria of the Arab Spring, hopes were high that a rapid, relatively peaceful transition of power would result in much the same way as it had in Egypt and Tunisia.  Those hopes were quickly dashed as it became clear that President Assad had no intention of giving up
power.  

Tens of thousands of people have since been killed in the violence that still rages across the country, and the lives of everyday Syrians have gotten more and more difficult as they wait and hope for foreign powers to start aiding the rebel forces fighting against President Assad.

In Sarjah, Syria families like the Darwish family have moved into Roman era caves in order to escape the constant bombing by the government forces.  They live in these two thousand year old caves with very little food or water and no plumbing.  What the subterranean caves offer in place of these modern luxuries is relative safety. The caves are deep underground where most of the bombs cannot reach.  

There seems to be no end in sight to the bloody civil war, however earlier this month the United States began offering aid to the rebel forces, but President Assad has made it clear he will not give up his power without a bloody fight… time will tell how long it will take for one side to give in.

Below is a picture of the new Darwish family home. 

Imagine standing in a courtroom, listening to a jury foreman announce that you have been found guilty of murder.  Later at the sentencing hearing you learn that you will spend the rest of your life behind bars… all for a crime you did not commit.  This was reality for David Ranta, the Brooklyn man convicted in the 1990 murder of Rabbi Chaskel Werzberger.

In 1990 Chaim Weinberger was a courier for Pan American Diamond Company.  On February 8 he left his apartment with a 50-pound suitcase filled with diamonds which was headed for the Dominican Republic in order to be cut into jewelry.  As he headed to his car, he noticed a tall blond man approaching him with his face covered… when the man reached the car he pulled a gun.  Mr. Weinberger put his car in reverse, hitting the man, then drove off in great haste.

The would-be robber then saw a man, Rabbi Werzberger, in a parked car nearby.  Fearing the Rabbi saw what had happened, went over to the car and shot him, then he stole the car.

David Ranta was later identified as the would-be robber and the murderer of Rabbi Werzberger.  The problem is however, it appears that the witnesses who testified against Mr. Ranta, identified him as the killer, and picked him out of a lineup were all coerced in some way to identify Ranta.  They lied to the police, they lied at trial… they lied in order to convict Mr. Ranta.  It appears that the lead investigator, Detective Louis Scarcella was instrumental in the coercion… that he instructed witnesses to lie, and told them who to pick out of the lineup. 

Mr. Ranta has spent twenty-three years in prison.  This week district attorney Charles Hynes, who was the attorney who convicted Ranta in 1990, asked a state judge to throw out Mr. Ranta’s conviction and initiate his immediate release. 

On Thursday David Ranta walked out of prison a free man.

For Western Civ Students Only:

Post the complete bibliographic entry for your chosen artile.  Your formating must be perfect!  Rememeber that if an article has already been posted, you must find a different one.

Earlier this week, students at Warwick Vets were disciplined for some tweets they sent to Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist.  The subject of their tweets and the cause of their angst was the dreaded NECAP test which is tied to graduation.  Currently, not achieving a level of near proficiency puts students in danger of not graduating… a reality which some view as unfair for several reasons.  They argue that the test is flawed in that it assesses material that either has not yet been taught, or taught several years before the test is administered… others argue that the test to too difficult for even the most prepared of students… these are very real concerns and issues worthy of discussion.

Discussion is the key here.  Despite what the media and some teachers would have you believe, the students were not punished for their dissenting opinions or for challenging the Commissioner on this issue.  They were punished because the contents of their tweets were vulgar and have no place in civilized society.  In addition, the students who were reprimanded sent their tweets during class time, an offense that right now is still punishable in Warwick Public Schools… no cell-phone use. 

This is not a free speech issue, and to argue such is to show a grave misunderstanding of the first amendment.  If a student approached a teacher or another student with an expletive laden attack, that student would be punished either by suspension or detention… the use of such language at a teacher, during school hours would not be tolerated… nor should it be.  The same is true with online messages…

Kids have this belief that because they post it online, it’s somehow less ‘real’ than if they say it in person… this is just not the case.  The fact that some adults are arguing that this is a free speech issue just betrays their real agenda of disagreement with the Commissioner rather than their understanding or devotion to any constitutional amendment.  The fact that parents and other adults attempt to condone such language under the farce of a free speech argument speaks volumes to where our society is at the moment.  Instead of making an argument based on what you think "free speech" is…  do a little research.  Throughout the existence of our constitutional form of government, the Supreme Court has ruled that there are limits to free speech.  Try reading the actual document and related rulings before shouting nonsense about your first amendment rights!

Thoughts?

Whether or not you agree with high stakes testing, the fact of the matter is that students who score in the top tiers can often choose which schools they want to go to from among the best colleges and universities in the nation.  However, the latest research shows that many students from low-income families do not even apply to the nation’s best schools… even when they perform at nationally ranked levels on the SAT and other standardized tests.

In a study conducted by Caroline Hoxby of Stanford University and Christopher Avery of Harvard University, only about 34% of high-achieving high school seniors from low income families apply at the top 238 schools in the country. 

Many of these seniors would be eligible for full or partial scholarships and all would be given finical aid loans to help fund their education.  According to the study, the fact that many of these students are from families in which no one has attended college, they simply do not know the process of getting money to help pay for advanced education… thus they simply assume college or at least the top colleges  are beyond their reach. 

Thoughts? 

In the not too distant past, people suffering from developmental conditions like autism were often thought of as “strange” or “unteachable.”  Over the past twenty years we have begun to learn a great deal more about this and related conditions, and while we still do not know what causes autism, we are starting to understand how to teach and reach people that are on different levels of the autism spectrum.

The Creative Growth Art Center of Oakland, California has been on the cutting edge of treatment for over thirty-five years; they have been serving artists with developmental, physical, and mental disabilities since the 1970’s and they are proving that simply because certain people do not communicate in traditional ways, doesn’t meant that they have nothing to say. 

There are a number of patients at the center who, even though they are non-verbal, are telling their stories through their art… art which sells for thousands of dollars.  The proceeds of the sale are split 50-50 between the artist and the Center in order to help it remain funded.  Some artists and their families however decide to give 100% of the profits to the center to ensure that the program remains strong and vibrant. 

I encourage you to check out the links below and see the amazing things some of these people are doing.  And hopefully this will serve as a reminder that simply because some people express themselves in non-traditional ways, does not mean that they do not have an amazing story to tell.

Thoughts?

NBC Nightly News Story http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032619/#VpFlash

Creative Growth Home Page: http://creativegrowth.org/category/news/

In case you don’t have a television, don’t have an internet connection, don’t have a Twitter or Facebook account, or didn’t have contact with any person who has a television or internet connection – the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church selected a new leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.  The chosen one is none other than the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or as he will now be known, Pope Francis I.

Bergoglio’s name was rarely mentioned as a possible choice by those covering the conclave which seems strange since he came in second behind Pope Benedict XVI at the last Papal Conclave.  Francis’ selection is significant as he is the first Pope from the Americas… specifically Latin America where over 40% of the world’s Catholics actually live.

Contrary to what has been reported however, Francis is not the first non-European Pope.  First of all, Francis is ethnically European… his parents were born in Italy and emigrated to Argentina… so in this case he is only non-European in the political sense, not the ethnic sense.  Taking away this technical definition of “European” he is not even the first Pope to be born outside of Europe.  There have been ten other Popes to have been born outside of Europe… including the person who the Church considers to be the very first Pope, St. Peter.  So including St. Peter, there have been nine Popes from the area of the near Middle East (modern day Syria / Israel) and one from North Africa.  Francis is still however the first Pope born outside of Europe in over 1200 years… still a very big deal!

There is also significant interest in the Pope’s choice of name, Francis.  He is the first Pope to take the name of St. Francis of Assisi, a name traditionally thought to be untouchable.  St. Francis is a fascinating figure and I invite you to follow the link below for some information on him.

Now, the world’s Catholics wonder what kind of leader Pope Francis will make… will he be a reformer, a traditionalist, a moderate… time will tell.

Thoughts?

Who was St. Francis?  http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=50

How to become a Pope.  (Link provided by Kailyn Carr) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF8I_r9XT7A